With all of this heat, how come there haven't been any power grid failures? Maybe there

[RKP5637]

have been and I missed them. Just curious.

[daggahead]

1. Here in the Detroit area ...

... there have been numerous outages over the past 3 or 4 days.

[RKP5637]

5. I guess we've been lucky here so far, seems we usually lose a transformer or

something.

[SugarShack]

2. there was an outage in central fla last night...and in OHio...

[Renew Deal]

3. Don't know about outside of NY

But it hasn't been extremely hot in NY. It's 99 today which is hot, but it's nowhere near a record.

[Lindsay]

4. When it hits NYC

or maybe DC, it'll be news. Flyover country, not so much.

[RKP5637]

6. Yeah, that's a good point!!! n/t

[MineralMan]

7. There were a bunch of them in the Twin Cities in Minnesota

while the heat wave was at its peak here. I can't remember exactly how many, but most were transformer failures and simple breaker blowouts. We're out of the worst of it, now.

[RKP5637]

9. Yeah, that's what we usually get here, transformer failures and simple breaker blowouts. None so

far, I've been amazed.

[MineralMan]

15. They may happen as time goes on. Without a good evening

cool-down cycle, the stress on marginal equipment will increase. I know we had one A/C unit in our bedroom running all night during the heat wave. We turned off the big window unit in the living room, but kept the little one on.

Incidentally, I really like using individual room A/C. It makes it easy to scale my energy use. The basement, where my office is, never got above 73 degrees throughout the heat wave. So we cool the room we're using only. I've considered central air, but have decided against it. Earlier in July, I bought a new large unit for the living room, which I've stored for next year. The current one still works, but it's about 8 years old. Big sale in July on these. Now, you can't find one anywhere.

[RKP5637]

17. We have central air here, but often it seems wasteful to me. I've been thinking

of putting in a unit in the family room where most of the time is spent. My office is in the basement too and it's always cool down here.

[muffin1]

8. Now you've done it.

You're not supposed to say stuff like that out loud! :)

[RKP5637]

11. Yep, now I did it!!! Funny, just after I posted this MSNBC said the power draw

on the east coast was breaking records, something like that ...

[FSogol]

10. Less people working, less businesses operating, many areas have automatic setbacks installed

on their power. (I do, in peak times, the electric company can throttle back my a/c and I get a rebate. Setbacks occur mainly during the day, while we are at work/school so they have never affected us.

Also, many people have switched to more efficient a/c and appliances, especially with the tax credits that have been available in the last few years.

[RKP5637]

12. All great points! Thanks! n/t

[Yo_Mama]

13. There have been plenty in multiple states

But unless it hits the beautiful and important people in a few enclaves in a few cities, you won't see national reporting of it.

Haven't you learned yet that half of the nation can be underwater for a week before a reporter notices? We don't really have national news. We have regional national news.

[RKP5637]

16. Yep, that's a good point, until it hits the beautiful and important people in a few enclaves in a

few cities all is well in la la land by the national media.

[Cirque du So-What]

14. Heard on local TV news yesterday afternoon

about 3-4,000 homes without power in the Pittsburgh area.

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. I hope you knocked on wood as you posted this. nt

[RKP5637]

19. I must admit I knocked on my head! LOL n/t